


Since we've no place to go ... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

by GaneWhoo



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, It's mostly canon-ish up to this point, Snowed In, Supersanta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28202385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaneWhoo/pseuds/GaneWhoo
Summary: Oh, the weather outside is frightful...Since we've no place to goLet it snow, let it snow, let it snow---This Christmas, Cat and Kara find themselves snowed in ...
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Cat Grant
Comments: 38
Kudos: 106
Collections: Super Santa Femslash 2020





	Since we've no place to go ... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YouSetTheTone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouSetTheTone/gifts).



The laureates for the Nobel Prize of Literature are all lovely, if a little old and boring. 

The only one Kara feels genuinely interested in is the only woman of the assembly of six; a ginger-haired, business-looking woman in her mid-forties, dressed in an ironed white shirt and a pencil grey skirt that has a certain air of familiarity.  
Kara read her book on the plane, and she’s been looking forward to the interview, but she ends up being a little disappointed by the lack of fire and personality behind the writer. She thought she would be met with someone surprising, wild, eccentric even. Sadly, the woman was nothing but ordinary, a little entitled, and vaguely haughty. 

They’re a few cups of tea in when Kara absentmindedly glances at the bar at the end of the room, as a way to distract herself while the woman goes on and on about her book. 

Her wandering eyes stop on a silhouette that looks elusively familiar.

The woman, wrapped in a midnight-blue and strapless, daring dress, has her back to the room. Her blond hair flows in gentle waves around her head, brushing the skin of her naked shoulders and there’s a hint of red behind her heels. Kara absentmindedly lets her eyes linger on the beautiful woman. She follows the line of the perfectly straight back, admires the curved hips, and the carefully tucked legs, noticing how the position highlights both the muscles of her calves and the delicacy of her ankles.

The bartender places a Martini glass next to her and the woman nods before reaching for the toothpick in her drink.

That’s when Kara notices it has two olives instead of the regular one. 

“Miss Danvers? Are you alright?”

Kara can’t hear the Nobel laureate anymore. She didn’t notice it before because she wasn’t listening for it, but the heartbeat that now echoes in her ears is more familiar than her own; regular and strong, steady. It’s all she can hear and it’s deafening, loud as a thunderstorm only she can feel, invading all her senses. Hints of a spicy and woody perfume come to replace the lemon scent of her tea and she feels dizzy, all of a sudden.

“Miss Danvers?”

The woman’s voice finally pierces through and Kara shakes her head, feeling as if she’s coming out of a trance. She brings her eyes back to the woman in front of her and notices the worry over her pale and delicate features, in the green eyes that are not quite the right color. Kara feels like she’s suffocating but she still manages to smile.

“Sorry, I think I just need a little bit of air. Would you excuse me one moment?”

She stands up before the woman can say anything, and in her haste to leave she sends her chair falling to the floor, loudly. It draws all the attention in the room, and suddenly, eyes of the perfect shade of green are on her. It’s all Kara can see now, a green as deep and lustrous as forest’s moss in autumn. 

Of all the places in the world, of all the moments in time.

She escapes in a haze, miraculously managing not to fall as she rushes toward the exit. People are calling after her as she goes. She thinks she hears someone say she needs a coat, that it’s cold outside, but she doesn’t stop. She needs to breathe, somewhere she won’t be inhaling Cat’s perfume. She needs to be where she won’t hear that damn heartbeat again, but it’s so ingrained in her mind that she feels her own heart has taken up the same rhythm now. 

Eventually, she exits the hotel and emerges on the sidewalk outside.

It’s snowing. 

Gentle snowflakes swirl in the crisp, cold air of December, and the grey sky is low and heavy, yet surprisingly luminous. 

Kara isn’t surprised, it’s been a long time coming.  
Ever since she arrived, three days ago, the weather has been gloomy and sad, a far cry from always sunny National City. At first, she’d appreciated the change, the moody winter weather, but now, it feels a little too on the nose.  
Still, she welcomes the caress of snow on her cheeks and nose.

She can feel people’s eyes on her, surprised or even shocked, but she can’t bring herself to bother. Not yet, anyway.

The city is slowly beginning to turn white, with the black roofs disappearing under an immaculate coat and the sidewalk is getting wet and muddy under the shoes of wandering people. Kara never really got to enjoy a white Christmas so she revels in it, until a voice breaks the moment.

“You ran out like you’ve seen a ghost.”

There’s sarcasm and just a hint of affection, behind the amused tone. It’s disturbingly familiar, upsettingly so. Suddenly, it’s like time didn’t happen.  
In the blink of an eye, she’s back in an office with a wall of screens, furnished with expensive and tasteful furniture and her heart squeezes in her heart, for the memory feels almost painful now.  
It’s been years, since she was that girl with an unrequited crush on her boss. So much has happened to her during those years. Losses, heartbreaks, tragedies. She feels heavier, nowadays, and the reminder of how easier and lighter her life was back then leaves a bittersweet taste in her mouth. 

“Maybe I did,” Kara murmurs, closing her eyes and she travels back to the present. “Long time no see, Miss Grant.”

“Indeed,” Cat replies, sounding more amused than anything else now. “You’re going to attract attention, being outside without a coat in these freezing temperatures, you know. Not everybody knows about your super metabolism.”

Kara doesn’t even ask how Cat knows. She figures Cat always knew, and if she didn’t, her stay at the White House must have cleared things up for her. It’s been over three years since they last saw each other, and Kara thinks the universe has a funny sense of humor, or irony, for putting them both in the same place, days before Christmas. They’re not in touch anymore, haven’t been for years, so it’s just a coincidence, her luck today. 

“I don’t care,” Kara says, through a heavy sigh. “I needed air.”

“Did you, now,” Cat sasses, sarcasm dripping from her words. 

Kara doesn’t comment.  
She looks up at the sky, longing to go hover in the blinding sunlight above the clouds, just far enough for the world to finally be quiet, save for the few planes roaming the airways. The snowflakes are now falling in abundance, thick and fast.

“What are you doing here, Miss Grant?”

“Freezing my ass off, while waiting for you to come back inside,” Cat retorts without missing a beat.

Kara doesn’t smile. A lifetime ago she would have, but not today.

“I’m meeting the CEO of Spotify in two days, something along the lines of developing my own podcast or radio show …” 

The tone is slightly dismissive and Kara doesn’t even need to turn to know there’s a flick of the wrist to accompany the reply. 

“A podcast?” Kara voices her skepticism without turning around.

Cat hums noncommittally and Kara, who would have once been able to understand every nuance in that simple sound, doesn’t know how to interpret it. 

The curtain of snowflakes is growing thicker and thicker with every passing minute. The previously busy sidewalk is becoming oddly quiet and calm, as if the snow slowly covering the fading footsteps, could also silence the world.  
A snowflake sneaks into the collar of her shirt, melting down along her spine, and Kara shivers.

Uh oh.

She feels the melted snow drip down her back, and what strikes her is that she can actually feel the cold. She’s felt it before, of course, just as she had experienced heat too, but what’s terrifying is that if she can feel it now; it means her powers are fading away like the footsteps under the new layer of snow. 

A gust of wind suddenly rushes down the little alley, violently agitating the snowflakes and causing tiny cyclones of snow to swirl along the sidewalk.

“Miss, a storm is coming,” The doorman warns, and his English accent is heavy but perfectly understandable. “You should come back inside before it gets worse …”

“Let’s go back inside, Kara,” Cat says, through a little sigh. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

“It’s four in the afternoon,” Kara retorts, knowing full well it won’t make any difference to the former CEO, who was sipping a two-olive martini just moments ago.

“You can order another tea,” Cat deadpans, dismissively. 

Kara doesn’t reply but she hears the doorman hold the door for Cat, and the familiar heartbeat starts growing distant. A little voice in her head wonders how Cat knew about the previous cups of tea.

“Miss?” The doorman asks, hesitantly. It breaks Kara’s train of thought

“Alright,” Kara sighs, finally turning around to go back inside the hotel.

\---

Her shirt is still damp with melted snow in a few spots but the warmth inside the hotel’s bar is working wonders. A cup of jasmine flavored tea rests on the countertop in front of her, next to a little plate displaying what’s left of the cinnamon roll she’s been slowly eating since she sat down.

Cat is elegantly perched on the stool next to her.  
Her upper body facing the counter but with her legs oriented towards Kara, and she’s holding her Martini glass in her right hand, an empty one lingering by her elbow. The midnight blue dress is daring and bold. It hugs her curves and highlights her shoulders in ways that are entirely too distracting, Kara thinks. 

“She took it rather well,” Cat comments, referencing the way Kara said goodbye to the laureate she was interviewing before she ran out. 

“We were mostly done,” Kara replies, taking a sip of tea before focusing on Cat. “So, a podcast?”

“Well, yes, or a new online radio show, I’m not sure yet,” Cat nods, her eyes gleaming a little in the relatively dim lighting of the place. She looks amused. “Don’t sound so skeptical, Kara. Former first lady Michelle Obama has her own podcast, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s just another way to communicate with a broader audience.” 

The dark tones of the room are only counter-balanced by the tall windows showing the white storm outside. It’s a stark contrast and Kara is more than a little mesmerized by how the curtain of snow is blurring the world while she’s sipping tea with her former boss, inside the bar area of the fanciest hotel of Stockholm. 

“No more politics for you then?” Kara pushes, trying to stay on track.

“Oh hell no. My days of trying to get white, privileged men to do anything are done,” Cat shakes her head, letting out a small humourless chuckle that acts like a small poke at Kara’s guts. “CatCo was alright but the White House, my God. One year is all I could give.”

“You kind of dropped off the face of the earth, after that, yes …” Kara muses.

“Funny, coming from someone who actually did leave Earth for a little while,” Cat deadpans, crinkles of humor forming around her eyes when she looks into Kara’s eyes. She’s slightly too loud and Kara glances around, but they’re alone at the bar and the bartender is off serving drinks to a booth in the room. “Oh, relax! It’s 5 o’clock in the afternoon and we’re in the middle of a snowstorm. Have a real drink and loosen up.”

“It won’t do …” Kara trails off, realising that she could actually have a real drink and feel it, this time. 

It’s been almost four entire days without seeing the sun, it was only a matter of time before the lack of sunlight would affect her superpowered metabolism. She wishes she could escape and call Alex, but Cat’s glare, expectant and disturbingly familiar, is powerful enough to keep her in place. Today just keeps on giving, Kara mentally mutters. She decides that to go through the rest of the day, without her powers and under Cat’s scrutiny, she’ll have a drink.

“Fine,” Kara sighs, pushing away the cup of tea and flagging the bartender. “Could I have a glass of whiskey, neat, please?”

From the corner of her eyes, she sees Cat’s eyebrow rise in surprise.

“Here you go,” The bartender says, placing a heavy glass in front of her before pouring the alcohol. The amber liquid gleams softly and Kara reaches for the tumbler to make it swirl under the light. 

“Now, I can totally picture your sister with that kind of drink but you?” 

“I like the burn,” Kara shrugs, still playing with her drink and the light.

“What’s wrong with vodka, then?” 

“I don’t like the cold.”

At the pause following her words, Kara can tell Cat’s thinking. She can almost hear the wheels turn in that brilliant brain of hers and she knows the conclusion before Cat even reaches it.

“You don’t have your powers now, do you?”

Kara slowly shakes her head no, seeing no point in lying to Cat. 

“Not enough sunlight, I’d imagine ...”

Cat’s phone suddenly goes off on the counter, vibrating next to another empty Martini glass and Carter’s name is written above the picture. Kara recognizes the image, it hasn’t changed since they were working together at CatCo. 

“Excuse me, I’m going to take his call,” Cat says, an affectionate smile gracing her lips as she trades her glass for the phone and swipes the screen to answer. “Hello darling!”

Kara focuses on her drink and tunes out, but she still hears Cat ask questions about an upcoming ice-skating trip, as well as some specific locations she instantly recognizes as New York. 

After about ten minutes, Cat hangs up with a heavy sigh.

“New York for the holidays? He must be thrilled,” Kara comments, waving the bartender for another dose of whiskey. “I assume he’s with his father …”

“Yes to both statements,” Cat says, sounding a little biting, but Kara is still used to that behavior, a common occurrence whenever Carter’s father is mentioned. “I’m supposed to fly back in four days, to spend Christmas with him. I’m just hoping the storm outside won’t last and ground all the flights …” 

“It might,” The bartender chimes in as he pours alcohol in Kara’s glass. “The weather experts are announcing an unprecedented and extremely dangerous snowstorm that could last more than a week. The optimistic ones say ten days at least ...”

Cat curses under her breath and Kara asks for the man to leave the bottle.  
She knows that any minute now, Cat is probably going to stop drinking Martinis to switch to something stronger, especially if the internet search she’s conducting confirms the bartender’s forecast.

“How bad is it?” Kara eventually asks, after a few minutes of silence during which Cat became increasingly upset.

“As bad as he said, if not worse.”

“Are you still going to try to have your plane take off?” 

“I’m not Miranda Priestly,” Cat cuts, sounding deeply annoyed. “As upset as I am, I won’t put anyone in danger just because I want to spend Christmas with my son.”

Kara nods and takes another sip of alcohol. The liquid burns as it goes down and she feels slightly buzzed. A pleasant and welcomed warmth, coming from within, is spreading through her body and preventing her from worrying too much.  
She knows she should.  
She’s stuck in Sweden because of a storm that is making her lose her powers, she’s drinking alcohol at 5:30 in the afternoon, and Cat Grant, of all people, is sitting next to her. Intellectually speaking, she’s well aware the situation is alarming but the stool is comfortable, the decorum is nice and Cat is typing on her phone, the sound familiar and somehow soothing.

Kara notices the empty glasses by Cat’s elbow and she gestures for the bartender to bring another whiskey glass. He swings by and pours alcohol in both tumblers before leaving again to take care of the few other customers in the room. 

“Good call, thank you,” Cat says, taking a sip of whiskey. “Urgh, no. This won’t do.” 

She calls the bartender back and asks for a decent Scotch.  
The man, to his credit, doesn’t even blink and brings a heavy, glass decanter of honey-ish beverage. He pours a small amount in a new glass and waits for Cat to nod her appreciation before pouring more.

“Where are you staying?” Cat asks once she’s got her drink.

“In a small hotel outside of the city,” Kara replies, fondly. She loves the place, it’s cozy and familiar, a little quaint too.“I didn’t want to stay downtown and besides, all the hotels around here are well above my pay grade.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be here on a business trip, fully covered by CatCo?” Cat arches a brow, her eyes sharp and suddenly too focused for someone who’d just drank a whole bottle of Noilly-Prat in Martinis. 

“I am, but I’m on a budget, like most reporters at CatCo,” Kara says, realizing a little too late she should have kept that last part to herself. She holds in a sigh of frustration and tries to absorb herself in her whiskey.

“What do you mean, like most reporters at CatCo,” Cat asks, a hint of alarm echoing in her voice.

“Well …” Kara starts but she trails off, not knowing how to defend her company. She finds herself staring into her drink and she wonders why she feels so sad, all of a sudden. “CatCo has gone through … a lot of changes, since you left. It’s a different company now, under Miss Rojas’s leadership. HR was the first department to undergo staff reorganization, and they were also given a new purpose. Nowadays, HR mostly exists to make sure everything we do fits into the ever tightening budget.” 

Cat brings her own glass to her lips and takes a long sip of Scotch, her eyes still intent on Kara. It’s a little unsettling to find herself back under the scrutinizing glare, especially after so many years without seeing Cat. She’d forgotten how naked it made her feel, raw and exposed. She used to believe Cat had a superpower of her own, which was to read her like an open book.  
She remembers asking J’onn, who had actual psychic powers but couldn’t read through her mind, if humans could have such an ability.  
She’s still not convinced by his categorical assertion that no; humans can’t read minds. Especially not when Cat is looking at her like that, like she can actually hear every single one of her thoughts. 

To distract herself from that line of thought, Kara chooses to focus on the snowstorm raging outside. 

“I’m not sure you’ll be able to go back to your hotel tonight,” Cat eventually says, and Kara is grateful for the change of topic. Until she properly registers what her former boss is saying, that is. She instinctively glances at the windows but all she can see is a white blur. 

“I’ll be fine,” Kara dismisses, hoping her voice doesn’t betray her own skepticism. 

“Kara, look outside. There’s a snowstorm paralyzing the whole city,” Cat insists, and though she doesn’t raise her voice, she suddenly exudes authority. “There is no way you’re going to be able to leave in time to reach your hotel before the storm worsens ...” 

Kara hates to admit it, but Cat has a point. Several, in fact. All of them, as usual.  
It’s infuriating, how easy it is to revert back to being the ordinary assistant hanging onto every one of Cat’s words. Kara finishes her drink and pours herself a new one.

“I’ll be fine,” Kara shakes her head, mostly to chase the buzz but if it also serves as a rebuttal gesture, then so be it. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, could I have one moment of your attention please?”

Cat and Kara both turn to the restaurant’s entrance. The receptionist, in his impeccable suit, is surrounded by two police officers in heavy winter gear. 

“The weather is expected to grow worse and given the unprecedented violence of the storm, an emergency local lockdown has been issued. I’m sorry to inform you that until further notice, you are all consigned within this hotel.”

Kara drops her head onto her arms over the counter.

“If you are not registered as a guest with us, please come to the reception desk and we’ll try to give you a room for the night. We are very sorry about the inconvenience and we appeal to your patience and understanding in this unique situation.” 

A few people stand up all across the room and head for the receptionist, voicing concerns or protests, in English and in Swedish. The policemen, who’d been silent until now, suddenly come alive and start to answer questions. After a few minutes of what sounded like a heated debate, the small group of people eventually leave the restaurant, their voices fading away toward the reception desk. 

“Well, that settles it. You should head over to the reception desk, before they run out of rooms …” Cat suggests, looking entirely too smug for the situation.

“I’m fine,” Kara repeats, well aware it’s now the third time she’s said that specific word. “I’m just going to wait until the storm goes away.” 

“I don’t think it will,” Cat counters with one of her typical eye-rolls. “The good people of Sweden are all saying it’s an unprecedented situation, and I don’t think these winter people are in the habit of exaggerating. The local internet is going wild about it, too.” 

“Don’t worry,” Kara tries to dismiss the problem entirely, once more. 

She knows it’s a stupid strategy, but she can’t resign herself to spending the night in Cat’s fancy hotel. She’s still hoping for a miracle, somehow, some kind of sign that the universe will be right again. A ray of sunshine in the storm, quite literally.

“Suit yourself,” Cat rolls her eyes and focuses back on her phone, her other hand closed around a glass of Scotch.

\---

“See, I told you it wouldn’t go away.”

“So you’ve said. Three times already,” Kara grumbles through her teeth as she makes her way toward the reception desk, with Cat by her side. 

They’re both a little unsteady on their legs, though Kara internally marvels at how gracefully Cat moves. The high heels she’s wearing look entirely too uncomfortable, after the many, many drinks she’s had.

The man behind the computer seems like he’s about to have a nervous breakdown. His previously impeccable suit having suffered the ravage of intense stress, he now looks disgruntled, like a man who hasn’t slept in days.

“Miss Grant,” He greets the moment he spots both women approaching the desk. “What can I do for you?”

“Hm, actually …” Kara chimes in, trying to get the receptionist’s attention. “I’m the one in need of your help. I’m apparently stuck in your hotel for the night, or so it seems … I was wondering if you had a room for me?”

“I’m so sorry, miss, but we ran out of rooms about an hour ago …” The man looks like he’s about to cry and Kara can’t help but to feel a little sad for him. “I can only offer you a couch in our lounge room? It’s not the most comfortable solution, I know, but with the Nobel Laureates in town, the hotel has been booked solid for a few weeks and the storm got the better of what little space was left …”

Kara doesn’t know if she should laugh or cry, at this point.  
How does this keep happening to her? She mentally thinks the universe must be out to get her, because so many hiccups in what should have been a perfectly ordinary business trip can’t be just a coincidence. 

“You can put her in my other room,” Cat suddenly chimes in, bringing the receptionist’s attention to her. “I believe I have two rooms, don’t I?”

“Actually …” 

This time, the receptionist looks positively terrorized.  
Kara is actually worried he’s going to faint, given how pale and stressed he is. She can almost see the sweat roll from his hairline and along his temples.

“We had to give your second room away, it was the last one to go,” He explains and to his credit, his voice doesn’t even tremble. “We were about to call you to inform you, I’m terribly sorry Miss Grant, and of course, the entire stay is on us, to make up for the trouble.” 

“Of course,” Kara sighs, regretting the whole trip entirely. 

It’s bad enough she’s drunk on whiskey, now she has to endure the trouble of sleeping on a couch in this fancy hotel’s lounge. 

“That’s fine, I’ll sleep in the lounge,” Kara finally says, knowing there is nothing she can do about her current situation. “Thank you though, I know this must be hell to handle and you’re doing the best you can.”

“I’m so sorry, really,” the man apologises, but Kara waves him off and offers him a kind smile.

“It’s no trouble really.”

“Why don’t you stay with me, in my room?” Cat chimes in again. Kara and the receptionist both turn to her, the same air of confusion on their faces. “The bed will be large enough for the both of us, and if not, there’s a fancy couch that will be better than the one in the lounge …”

Kara has to admit, it sounds a lot more comfortable than the lounge area. Less light, less traffic, less chance of being woken by the cleaning people in the morning … But it also means she’d have to share the space with Cat. The idea alone feels like a little too much right now, in her alcohol induced state. More than that, it feels dangerous.  
She doesn’t have her powers, something on which she’s heavily relied on to handle Cat, over the years. Her ability to fly or run at super-speed had, more than once, come in handy, either to run an impossible errand or simply to escape Cat’s wrath. Besides, she’s becoming heavily drunk, and she knows she can’t trust herself with so much alcohol in her system. Either she’s going to say or do something that will betray how much Cat’s presence affects her, or she’s going to ridicule herself and at this point, she’s not sure which option is worse. 

Cat, who is currently bathed in the delicate golden shade of the hotel lighting. It perfectly highlights the slightly out-of-place tan of her skin, around the daring dress, and accentuates her every curve. Her curls seem to be made of liquid gold, and they swish ever so gently with every move she makes, it’s mesmerizing. At this very moment, Cat feels like a yellow sun, which is an uncomfortable and very dangerous thought. 

“I don’t know,” Kara hesitates, unsure about the whole idea. On one hand, she’d love to get a good night’s sleep, especially since she’s powerless - now sensitive to mood-changes and back and muscle pain, but on the other hand, she knows that staying too close to Cat is not something she should do. “I mean, the lounge sounds okay, I guess. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You won’t, because I’m offering,” Cat cuts in, waving her protest away. Turning to the receptionist, she then says “It’s settled, she’s staying with me.”

Kara wants to protest, but the man on the other side of the desk seems to think being fast is the way to please Cat. It’s not a wrong assumption and Kara knows it, but it means he’s already ordering some toiletries for her, and a bottle of complimentary champagne to be brought to Cat’s room.  
Kara is just about to try to escape the offer when he speaks again.

“Everything will be ready in about ten minutes,” The receptionist explains, with a nervous but slightly relieved smile. “Everything is on us for the both of you, for the duration of your stay.”

“Back to drinking it is, then” Cat smiles, seemingly very amused by the situation. 

Kara wants to groan, but when Cat gently grabs her by the elbow to steer her back to the restaurant, the protest dies in her throat. She’s never been able to deny Cat anything, and it really should be infuriating that after so many years apart, the former CEO still has that much influence over her.

She lets herself be guided back to the bar without saying anything.

\---

“Stop sulking, Kara,” Cat rolls her eyes over the rim of her Martini glass. “You’ll take the couch, if you’re so worried about sleeping in the same bed as me.”

“I’m not worried!” Kara retorts, lying through her teeth as she shakes her head no. “I’m just saying you didn’t have to offer for me to stay in your room, I’d have been fine with sleeping in the lounge.”

“First of all, sleeping on a bad couch is terrible for your body. Second, the lounge area is mostly made of glass. It’s going to be freezing in the middle of the night, especially since they always lower the heating system during nighttime ...”

“I don’t feel …” Kara stops, remembering she’s powerless and can actually feel temperature now. “Ah, well.”

“See,” Cat pointedly looks at her, well aware of what she was about to say. “Beside, I have a very nice bathroom, with an italian shower that doesn’t disappoint. Something you won’t find anywhere near the lounge, I bet.”

The words instantly bring images to Kara’s mind. Flashes of naked curves with droplets of water running down expanses of smooth skin, damp curly hair peeking through the hot steam ...  
She feels the blush creep across her neck and spread through her face, heating the tips of her ears, so she tries to cover it with a big swig of whiskey. She knows she should stop drinking. Her metabolism is not alien at the moment, and it has never been confronted with so much human alcohol before, but Cat’s presence is troubling, confusing and drinking is something that keeps her hand, and mind, occupied. 

“Probably not,” Kara mumbles, eyes intent on her drink to avoid looking anywhere near Cat. “Thank you again, Miss Grant.”

“Don’t you think you could call me Cat, by now?” Cat suggests, a hint of odd melancholia piercing through her voice. “It’s been years, and I’m not your boss anymore.”

Kara thinks there’s a wishful note in the last statement, a note of longing and regret. She chases the thought away, and convinces herself it’s her own wishes she’s projecting into the discussion. She blames it on the alcohol, the heat, the extremely confusing situation, the storm, the lack of powers ... pretty much everything at this point.  
She’s still wondering how on Earth she managed to find herself in such a predicament. 

“Fair enough, Cat,” Kara nods, risking a glance toward the former CEO. It’s quick but she catches the shadow of the pleased smile that flashes across Cat’s face. “Shall we head over to our table? We should definitely eat something, to absorb the enormous quantity of alcohol we just drank …”

“Of course you’d think about dinner,” Cat muses, almost affectionately. “I don’t think I ever met anyone who loves food as much as you do, and I know many French people.” 

“Listen, we didn’t have actual food where I come from,” Kara replies, careful of her words but still a little too loud to her liking. She tries to lower her voice as she continues “That’s why the food is at the top of my favorite things about this place.”

She doesn’t have to specify that “this place” means Earth, Cat gets it.

“It makes sense,” Cat nods, walking toward a table for two in a corner of the room. “Do you have a favorite kind, or do you just like food in general?” 

“Do you have any idea of the sheer diversity of food that exists on this planet?” Kara arches a brow, almost outraged by the question. “Besides, how can one possibly have only one favorite kind of food? It’s impossible.”

“Well, if you ask my sweet sixteen year old, he’d say pizza is the way to go,” Cat retorts, an amused smile gracing her lips. 

Absentmindedly, as she speaks, Kara comes around and pulls Cat’s seat out for her.

“To be fair, it’s high up on the list of food I love too, but I can’t say it’s my favorite,” Kara explains, so engrossed in her talk about food that she doesn’t even notice the flash of surprise and emotion that sparkle in Cat’s eyes at the gallant gesture. “He’s got good taste, but he’s still a teenager. Give him a few years, he’s going to change his mind.”

“Let’s hope so,” Cat nods, waiting for Kara to sit down before reaching for her menu. “Shall we have a cocktail?”

“You’ve had many, many cocktails already,” Kara points out, with a slightly judgmental frown.

“So?” Cat looks up with a pointedly arched brow, almost daring. 

“Nevermind,” Kara relents with a sigh. She might be more than a little drunk, she still knows when to avoid a fight she can’t win. “I’m starving.” 

She absorbs herself in the menu while Cat orders something with Vodka for herself and a bottle of water for the table. 

Dinner is a fine affair.  
Cat talks about all the things she’s done since she left the White House and Kara asks questions, genuinely curious about everything. They talk about Carter, and how well he’s growing up. They argue about politics, about the state of the world, climate change and they agree on the general incompetence of the people in charge.  
Cat orders a bottle of wine and the waiter pours two glasses, so Kara drinks. She does it offhandedly, without noticing, too engrossed in the moment to realize she’s adding another kind of alcohol to the whiskey already slushing in her stomach. 

Cat is relaxed and open in a way Kara rarely got to see, back when they were working together. She smiles almost all the time, and her lines are sarcastic and sassy but without any edge to it, it sounds more affectionate than anything else.  
Kara blames it on the alcohol, how her heart skips a beat every time she hears Cat laugh. It’s a rare and precious sound, especially since it’s absolutely genuine. It leaves an echo in the air, like the few notes at the start of a favourite song, and when it dies, it does with the hope of it playing again soon.

Kara agrees to a final drink and Cat asks for a few fingers of a fancy rhum, to go with the remnants of the chocolate dessert they ate. The beverage is definitely too strong, the smell alone making Kara feel dizzier than everything she’s drunk so far. Still, Cat is sipping at it like it’s a glass of milk and so Kara buckles up, and tries it.

“Oof,” Kara coughs after half-a-sip. 

“You can handle your whiskey, but not the rhum?” Cat teases, obviously very amused by the situation. “Though I have to admit, I thought you’d be rolling on the floor already, with how much alcohol you’ve had.”

“I kind of got used to it, over the years,” Kara mumbles, before trying another sip. It goes a little smoother, she doesn’t cough but the burn is unpleasant and still too much. “Besides, you’ve met my sister.” 

“Fair point,” Cat nods, before tilting her head to the side. “Why did you get used to drinking, Kara?”

Kara is more than a little buzzed and the rhum’s heady scent is making her stomach churn a little but she knows Cat well enough to know the question is heavier than it seems. 

“Same reason anyone else does, I suppose?” Kara evasively answers, avoiding looking at Cat.

“Trust me, I am well aware of said reasons,” Cat chuckles, humorlessly. “Look at me, I’m a walking personification of those reasons, but you?”

“It doesn’t happen as often as it sounds,” Kara states, this time looking straight into Cat’s evergreen eyes. “Besides, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough,” Cat relents, after a pause. “Then let’s head up to bed, shall we?” 

Again, Kara is powerless to stop the images that spring to mind.  
All of a sudden, all she can see is naked skin, tangled limbs, and sweaty hair. She can almost hear the breathless moans, too.  
She’d be lying if she said she didn’t think about it, because she did. More than once, even. She’d fantasized a lot during the years she’d worked for Cat, and even after Cat left, but it’s been a while since she’d thought about it in such a vivid manner. 

“Earth to Kara!”

With difficulty, Kara blinks herself back to the present, and frowns in confusion when Cat’s face comes into focus in front of her.

“That’s it, enough alcohol for you my dear,” Cat laughs, coming to help Kara up before steering her toward the elevators. “You are going to drink a lot of water, take an aspirin or two, and then sleep.”

Kara wants to protest that she isn’t a child, but the hand around her elbow is firm and warm, reassuring. She smiles internally at how strange it is to be on the other side of the situation, after the many nights where she’d had to steer Cat away from the never ending “one last drink”.

The elevator ride is quick and silent, but Cat doesn’t release her hold on Kara’s elbow.

It takes a few minutes, but they eventually reach the room.  
Cat instantly guides Kara to the bathroom and orders her to change into the hotel pyjamas and to brush her teeth. Kara does as she’s being told once Cat leaves the room. It’s slow, but she manages to do everything, despite the taste of the toothpaste almost making her render the contents of her stomach. 

“Good,” Cat nods approvingly when Kara exits the bathroom. “Drink this.”

Kara eyes the glass Cat is handing her, unsure about what’s in it.

“I dropped two aspirins in this,” Cat explains, moving closer to invite Kara to reach out for the glass. “I’m guessing you don’t have much experience with actual, human hangovers so trust me, this will help in the morning.”

Kara nods and slowly empties the contents of the glass, before wincing at the terrible chimic taste left in her mouth.

“Here, drink,” Cat retrieves the glass and fills it with water before handing it over again. “Go to bed but try not to fall asleep just yet, and keep drinking water. I’m going to take a shower.”

Kara doesn’t protest and brings the glass of water with her to the bed. She places it on the nightstand before slipping under the comfy, plush blanket, breathing a relieved sigh the moment she’s not standing anymore.  
There’s a distant voice in her head that tries to tell her something and she has a nagging feeling she’s forgetting something important, but there’s warmth spreading through her body and her head, so heavy, feels just right against the pillow.

Half-a second later, she’s sound asleep.

\---

“Good morning sunshine!”

The voice is _loud_ in her ears, and way too chirpy for whatever ungodly hour of the morning it is, Kara thinks. She buries her head into the soft and plush pillow, hoping it will make the painful pounding go away.

“Come on, breakfast is ready.”

The thought of food makes her stomach churn, but not in a pleasant way.  
It sparkles a fit of nausea so violent, so strong Kara thinks she’s going to surrender to it, but eventually, it calms down. It doesn’t go away completely though, like a wave waiting for a new tide to pull again.

“Why are you yelling?” Kara groans, turning her head just enough to not mutter in her pillow. “It’s too early.”

“It’s way past noon, actually,” Cat retorts without missing a beat. Her tone is smug and amused at once and it grates on Kara’s nerves. “I’m having lunch, but I took the liberty of ordering breakfast food for you …”

“Past … noon?” Kara frowns, slowly turning to be able to sit down. She’s careful to not move too fast, but the whole world rocks and swirls and it brings back the nausea. “What?”

“I did try to wake you up, twice, but you were dead to the world, so I let you sleep,” Cat explains, from her spot at the table pushed against the bay windows. She’s bathed in a blinding white luminosity that is too strong for Kara, so she closes her eyes. “You really should eat or drink something, it will help with the nausea.”

“Could you please close the curtains?” Kara asks, after having tried to open her eyes twice, to no avail. “Is it still snowing outside?”

“Yes, the storm is still raging and apparently, it’s not going to stop anytime soon …” Cat replies, a hint of sadness peeking in her tone. She grabs the remote and lowers the blinds. “Seems we’re stuck here for at least a week, maybe ten days …”

Kara manages to leave the bed, and after a quick detour by the bathroom, she joins Cat at the table.

“Oh, pancakes!” Kara smiles, noticing the pile of pancakes on a plate, next to a bottle of syrup and a plate of bacon. “Now I’m hungry.”

“That’s more like it,” Cat laughs, shaking her head with amusement. “Bon appétit.”

Brunch is lazy and quiet, alternating between calm conversations and comfortable silences.  
Kara’s still in her hotel pyjamas, but Cat is wearing a comfortable ensemble, grey yoga pants and what looks like a very soft navy-blue sweater, and she’s put on the bare minimum in terms of makeup. It gives her a natural and healthy glow, in the white light of this winter weather. 

“I’m planning on getting some work done this afternoon” Kara explains after she’s finished with brunch. She ate everything Cat had ordered, and then some since Cat didn’t finish her own food, and she looks very happy. “However, I need to go buy some clothes first.”

“I’m going to make some phone calls, to rearrange my schedule, and then try to work on this book I’m supposed to publish by the end of February,” Cat rolls her eyes, looking annoyed at the thought. 

“Do you want me to go work in the business lounge?” Kara offers, mindful of Cat’s space.

“I don’t mind the company, but if you think my phone calls will distract you …” 

Kara doesn’t think it’s the phone calls that will distract her, but she keeps the thought to herself.  
After all, she managed to make it through the night, though she suspects it was more to do with her heavily inebriated state, than her self-control. 

“It won’t, don’t worry,” Kara dismisses with a smile. I’m just going to put on my clothes from yesterday to go buy some clothes. I also need to ask for a headset, I left mine in my hotel room … Do you need anything?”

“No, thank you,” Cat shakes her head and grabs her phone. “Please, refrain yourself from buying any cardigans.”

“I don’t even think they have those in stock, in this fancy hotel of yours,” Kara mutters as she moves toward the bathroom.

“One never knows …” Cat muses, smugly.

Kara chooses not to answer, and closes the bathroom door behind her.

\---

“Really?”

“Yes, try it out loud.”

Kara reads the sentence she’s just rewrote following Cat’s advice and nods.

“Much better, indeed.”

She adds her own suggestion and recites it again, earning an approving smile from her former boss.

They’ve been working together on Kara’s article for the better part of the afternoon, only pausing to share a cup of tea and some biscuits. 

At first, it was rocky and hatched, with Cat wanting to impose her experience instead of listening to Kara’s suggestions, but with tact and some backbone, Kara managed to steer them toward an equal and common ground.  
They still went into a whole debate about the book Kara read on the plane, written by the laureate she was interviewing when she first noticed Cat. Cat found it insipid and unworthy of such an esteemed prize, but Kara argued that the point was to capture a small piece of reality, not to make a mainstream book.  
The discussion had turned sour until Kara took a breath, and calmly reminded Cat that she was allowed to love a Nobel Prize book, that she shouldn’t reject every piece of literature because her mother was a prickly, elitist snob.  
At first, Kara thought she’d gone too far but after a moment of shocked silence, Cat had admitted to liking the book. From then on, they’d worked like a single mind to write the article. Cat had a gritty style Kara could draw strength from, but she was sometimes a little too sharp, verging on criticism whereas Kara would bring some nuance to her words. 

“I think we’re done!” Kara eventually calls, looking up at Cat on the opposite couch. “It’s going to be a fantastic article, which is a little amusing since I didn’t even want to come cover the Nobel laureates in the first place.”

“How did you end up here, by the way?” Cat jumps on the topic, leaning forward on the couch. “Last I heard, you were an investigative journalist, I didn’t think you’d do something as mundane as the Nobel …”

“I believe it’s a punishment,” Kara laughs, but the flash of alarmed anger that crosses Cat’s eyes sobers her up instantly. “Don’t worry Cat, it’s the only way Andrea could get back at me after exposing her problematic investors ...”

“I read that article, it was excellent! It had a fantastic structure, and the facts you stated in it are terrifying …” Cat nods, eyes intent on Kara. “I can see why she’s mad at you, but from a journalist’s point of view, it might be your best work yet.”

“Why thank you, high praise coming from you!” Kara laughs, choosing to ignore the warmth spreading through her lower abdomen at the praise. “Still, she was mad, and I believe sending me halfway across the world is her way of keeping me in the dog house.” 

“Well, as countries go, it could be a lot worse,” Cat counters, an amused smile gracing her lips. “Though I admit, the lack of sunlight is a double pain for you …”

“Ah, but she doesn’t know that,” Kara says as she closes her laptop before placing it next to her on the couch. “She doesn’t seem too interested in Supergirl, to be honest.”

“Must be a change, for you,” Cat deadpans, smugly.

“It is, it’s refreshing in some ways,” Kara says, in the same tone. “Though it says a lot about how little she knows about journalism …”

“True. From what I know, she’s more interested in clicks and users than anything else, including reporting the news …” 

“Sadly,” Kara sighs, still bitter about what has become of CatCo Worldwide Media. 

“Anyway,” Cat dismisses the topic entirely, much to Kara’s surprise. It’s not the first time she notices how distant and unbothered Cat seems to be about CatCo nowadays, but it still comes as a shock, every time. “Room service or are we going to the restaurant, for dinner?” 

“Let’s head down,” Kara says, not wanting to spend the whole day in the room. “I won’t drink, though. I don’t think I’m ready for alcohol yet.” 

Cat simply laughs and the sound makes Kara’s heart race in her chest, once again.

\---

She’s wide awake in the middle of the night when Cat rolls over in the bed and comes to snuggle against her flank.

First, her heart stops.  
It’s like nothing exists but that body pressed into hers, soft and warm.  
Hints of Cat’s peach shampoo waft to her nose and Kara has to make a conscious effort to breathe normally, not to inhale too strongly. She then feels Cat’s own breathing against the side of her neck and it makes goosebump erupt on her skin.  
It’s what starts her heart again, only it’s now going frantic. It’s fast and loud like an entire drum line and Kara’s terrified the sound alone is going to wake up Cat.  
Kara is basically pulsing now, from head to toe, the echo of her heartbeat invading all her senses. Cat moves ever so slightly, but it causes one of her feet to brush against Kara’s legs. She thinks she’s going to faint, her heart stopping again in her chest. She’s holding her breath and mentally praying for Cat to roll over to the other side of the bed. Though her presence is warm and comfortable, she smells nice too.  
Still, it’s too much to handle in the dead of the night. 

Suddenly, Kara is struck by the fact it’s ten times worse than when she does have her powers. She never thought about it, since it was her default mode to feel everything in such an accentuated way, but to know that what she feels now is not caused by her powers is somehow thrilling, though still terrifying. 

Eventually, Cat’s weight settles against her side. Warmth radiates from her body, and it envelops Kara in a strange, but safe halo, one that finally lulls her to sleep.

\---

“Oh, you’re up!” Cat greets her the next morning.

She’s sitting in bed, hair mussed with sleep, blinking herself awake, and Kara can’t help but to marvel at how beautiful she is. No make up, no apparatus, just a woman in her fifties with age and laugh lines wrinkling her face, the healthy glow of a life well-lived. 

“I did sleep all morning yesterday, I think I’ve had my quota of sleep for now,” Kara chuckles, gesturing to the table in front of her. “I ordered breakfast for the both of us, including your usual Spinach Omelette of course.” 

“Hm, thank you,” Cat yawns and exits the bed, stretching her limbs as she makes her way to the bathroom. Kara catches a glimpse of Cat’s abdomen when her shirt rises up and she quickly adverts her eyes, trying not to think about the same abs pressed against her side earlier in the night. “I’ll be just a minute.”

Kara takes the opportunity to send a text to Alex, letting her know the weather’s still stormy and that she’s still grounded in Sweden, without powers. She didn’t mention anything about Cat, knowing full well that it would raise many alarm bells in her sister’s mind, and cause conversations she’s definitely not ready to have.

“I canceled all my meetings for the next three weeks,” Cat says as she comes to sit in front of Kara.

“You canceled on the CEO of Spotify?” Kara gasps a little, her hand hovering above the basket of croissants. “Why? Couldn’t you do it over zoom or something?”

“I didn’t want to, and frankly, neither did she,” Cat replies, removing the bell protecting her omelette. “I’m thinking about a SPA day, since there’s nothing else I can do. Care to join?”

“It sounds nice,” Kara nods, despite having never enjoyed spending time in a SPA before. “‘I’ve never tried it without my powers, so maybe I will.” 

“Does it bother you?”

Kara chews her bite of croissant and frowns in confusion.

“Not having your powers, I mean,” Cat clarifies, reaching for her cup of coffee. “What’s the longest you’ve gone without them?” 

Kara takes the time to swallow before replying.

“It doesn’t bother me too much,” Kara explains, slowly. “I mean, when it happens, it feels like … I’ve lost my balance, somehow. I’m so used to having my powers that the change is jarring, and I suddenly have to learn everything all over again. However, I didn’t have them on Krypton, it’s something that’s linked to the yellow sun in this planet’s solar system.”

“So how do you … cope, without them?” Cat asks, sounding genuinely interested.

“The first time, I was incredibly upset and terrified they wouldn’t come back, because I didn’t exactly know what had caused them to stop,” Kara says, thoughtfully. She still remembers how scared and miserable she’d felt that day. “I was a teenager and to fit in this world, I had to spend enormous amounts of energy to hold back my strength, filter my hearing and adjust my sight. So the one time I got upset and angry, I lashed out. Little did I know, I’d used all of my reserves of sunlight, and the next thing I knew, my powers disappeared. Nowadays though, I know I just need a few hours under the sunlight to recharge my batteries, so I just have to be patient.” 

Kara pauses and then remembers Cat’s earlier question.

“I think the longest I’ve gone without my powers is a few days, a week maybe? It’s hard to quantify how much sunlight I need in general, my powers are extremely variable so there’s really no telling how much it will take to use it all.”

“Does your sister help with the science behind it all?” 

“She does, she’s brilliant!” Kara glows, a sparkle of pride in her eyes. “Well, she got promoted to a higher position since then but she’s still experimenting sometimes, in her old lab.” 

“It sounds so fascinating …” Cat muses and she has that look in her eyes Kara only saw once or twice, that sparkle of awe that makes her eyes shine from within. 

“You can ask, if you want,” Kara offers, tentatively. It’s a loaded permission to give to a former CEO of a media conglomerate, who is still a journalist at heart. 

“Let’s head over to the SPA first,” Cat temporises, finishing her coffee and placing the towel next to her empty plate. “But you can bet I’m going to grill you for answers, now that you offered.”

“Of course you will,” Kara laughs, not having expected any less.

\---

It takes barely five minutes for Kara to realize the mistake she’s made by agreeing to have a SPA day with Cat.

Somehow, lost in the conversation and the moment, she didn’t anticipate one tiny, tiny detail.

It’s only when Cat steps out of her changing room, wearing nothing but a towel, that it comes back to her, full force.  
Her heart stops, once again, and she can’t do anything but stare, because Cat’s basically naked. The towel, plush and soft, is tied rather tightly around her breasts but it still shows a good hint of cleavage, which is more than anything Cat’s ever worn in the office. The showing collarbones accentuate the delicacy of her shoulders and since she’s gathered her hair up with a headband, her graceful neck is even more defined.

“Not that I’m not flattered by the obvious ogling, but you should go change, too,” Cat eventually says, tilting her hips to the side and placing one hand on it, the other one holding the towel in place across her chest. “Chop chop, Kara.”

Kara scrambles and hits her head against the door of her changing room on the way in. She hears Cat chuckle, but she’s too busy hiding her blush to care. She briefly thinks that maybe, all things considered, the snuggling at night wasn’t so bad, in comparison. 

She has no idea how she’s supposed to spend the whole day next to a practically naked Cat.

\---

Kara pushes open the door of their shared room, which is almost as large as her whole apartment, with a triumphant smile on her lips.

“I managed to get my hands on a deck of cards!”

Cat, who is comfortably curled in a corner of the couch, looks up from the book she’s been reading since they finished dinner. She’s relaxed in a way Kara has never seen before, skin glowing from the SPA day, hair down and naturally curling, wearing a pair of designer sweatpants and a slightly too large baseball sweater.  
The pair of cat-eye shaped glasses perched on her nose makes Kara’s heart race a little, but she chooses to ignore it.

“Congratulations?” Cat sasses, an amused smile gracing her lips.

“Come on,” Kara says, closing the door behind her and coming to sit on the opposite couch. “I’m bored and I’m slowly going mad, being snowed in with no possibility of going outside.”

“So?” Cat arches an unimpressed brow.

“Play a game with me?” Kara asks, half as a question and half as a plea. 

She’s growing tired of mindlessly wandering through the hotel, and she’s too jittery to read a book or watch a movie. She’d try to call Alex, but the DEO was being reviewed and audited in a few days and as its director, Alex was on every front at once. She didn’t have time to spare. 

“Hm … What game do you propose we play?” Cat asks, still not lowering her book. She looks like she’s studying her next move and Kara wonders, for a second, if Cat knows how to play chess. She wouldn’t be surprised if she did.

“Poker?”

That gets Cat’s attention and Kara internally smirks. She knows full well that Cat is also a recognized professional poker player in some circles, which is exactly why she went for that game.

“You don’t have your powers,” Cat slowly states, finally closing her book and putting it aside. “That means you won’t be able to cheat.”

“I don’t cheat!” Kara protests, despite knowing what Cat means. “It’s not my fault if I can hear your heartbeat and read through it.” 

“My point is, tonight you can’t,” Cat insists, a predatory sparkle shining in her eyes. “I didn’t even know you knew how to play poker. I would have thought it was an uninteresting game for someone with your usual abilities.”

“My sister thought learning poker would help me with bluffing, having a poker face and being able to fake some behavioral cues,” Kara shrugs. “I don’t think it worked the way she intended, but I still enjoy playing …”

“Alright then, game on. Deal us,” Cat orders, standing up to go retrieve the decanter of Bourbon and two glasses. “Let’s spice it up with alcohol, see how well you can handle everything.” 

Kara eyes the glass Cat’s filing with the honey-ish liquid, wondering if she hasn’t made a mistake by openly challenging Cat. She never saw the woman play, but she’s confident enough in her own game to know she can at least keep up. Though maybe not with the added parameter that is alcohol.

“Fine,” Kara eventually relents, dealing the cards while Cat settles back on the couch. “I don’t want to end up as drunk as last time. The hangover the next morning is definitely not something I want to suffer through again.”

“Buzzkill,” Cat smirks, leaning forward to retrieve her cards. “Alright, let’s see how this goes.”

Kara smirks back.

\---

“I can’t believe it,” Cat groans, throwing her cards again. “How are you so good at this game, and without your powers! I mean come on, you can’t even hear a curse word without blushing!”

Kara smiles, smugly, and pours Cat another drink.  
They didn’t have chips so Cat suggested they bet a full drink for the loser instead. This is the third time in a row Cat has had to finish her glass, bottoms up, and she is not happy about it.

“Alex has a theory about it,” Kara offers, while dealing cards once more. “She says it’s the competitiveness in poker, that changes everything.”

Cat pours herself another drink, one she leaves alone while waiting for her cards to be ready.

“She’s kind of bitter, cause she often loses too, but she’s mostly frustrated,” Kara continues. “She says it’s unnerving that I can’t lie to save my life, quite literally sometimes, but I somehow manage to win at poker. Hence the fact that what was supposed to be a learning lesson just turned into a very, very competitive game between us.” 

“I don’t get it either,” Cat shakes her head, her eyes gleaming softly from all the alcohol she’s had. “You couldn’t make up a single credible excuse to get away to handle your supergirl duties, back when you worked as my assistant. You even sprouted some nonsense about cat videos! Which, when I think about it, was probably your first and only cat pun and I’m still not sure how you got away with it …”

“Talent?” Kara laughs when Cat throws her a very unimpressed glare. “I don’t know what to tell you, honestly. At least when I have my powers, it’s easier to accept that I win, because you know I can unconsciously hear your heartbeat.”

“But you don’t have your power!” Cat protests, a hint of annoyance slipping through her voice.

“Aww, sore loser, Miss Grant?” Kara teases, not so secretly very amused about the situation. “Do you want to stop?”

“No.”

“Alright then,” Kara grabs her cards and gestures for Cat to do the same.

This round feels different.  
Cat is quiet and focused, intent on winning. There’s a tension building in the air that makes Kara’s heart beat just a little faster, but she doesn’t know why. They’ve been chatting pretty easily until now, and the silence has an indefinable quality, the kind that presages unintended consequences. It sets Kara on edge.

Kara is the first to lower her cards. As she meets Cat’s eyes, she knows that for the first time this evening, she’s lost. The smile that graces Cat’s lips is slow, it blossoms like a flower under the sun, stretches to reach her eyes and eventually, Cat lowers her cards.

“Royal flush,” Cat states, her voice low and smug. “Drink up.”

Kara, a little mesmerized by Cat’s smile and winning face, absentmindedly reaches for her glass and starts to drink.  
The Bourbon is very good, Cat wouldn’t drink it otherwise, but it’s really not Kara’s favorite alcohol. It burns as it goes down, but she feels it go to her head at the same time, making her light-headed. Cat is watching her, eyes aglow with triumph and the shiny gleam of alcohol. The dim light of the room reflects in her blonde waves and creates an abstract dance of shadows across her neck and collarbones.  
She’s gorgeous, relaxed and a little drunk, clad in her sweatpants and baseball sweater. 

“You’re ogling again,” Cat murmurs, her voice having lowered down an octave. 

It sends a chill down Kara’s spine, but she’s a little too lost in the moment to register the words. There’s something else in Cat’s evergreen eyes, a familiar yet strange sparkle Kara’s never noticed before. It swirls and dances, but it’s almost shy, fragile - hesitant like a candle flame caught in the wind.

Kara opens her mouth to say something when Cat’s phone goes off, blasting the Star Wars theme across the room. It startles them both, and Cat almost falls off the couch as she stands to go retrieve the damned device.

As Cat greets Carter with a warm and affectionate tone, Kara suddenly realises she’s been holding her breath. She exhales, slowly, and tries to ignore how fast and frantically her heart is beating in her chest.

She chases it all away with a drink.

\---

Kara wakes up to an empty room the next morning.

There’s breakfast on the table by the bay windows, but for only one person. The bathroom door is open, lights off inside.  
Kara lets out a relieved sigh, glad to be alone for a moment.

Cat had rolled over again during the night, waking her up in the process, but this time it almost felt deliberate. She’d found herself being half-spooned, despite the fact she was taller and sturdier than Cat. It took a long while for her to be able to relax and go back to sleep, and she is now paying the price of her mostly sleepless night.

With sleepy eyes and a heavy head, she manages to exit the bed and heads over to the table to enjoy her breakfast. Which is precisely when her phone goes off, with a loud and obnoxious ringtone Kara doesn’t even recognize.

Alex’s name is spread on the screen.

“When did you change your usual ringtone?” Kara greets, without even saying hello. “I haven’t seen you in almost a week now, when did you …”

“Last game night,” Alex replies, sounding entirely too smug to Kara’s liking. “You were busy with welcoming Winn back to National City, so I changed it. I just haven’t called since, and I’m sorry about that. I can’t wait for the holidays to start …”

“You could have picked something less embarrassing!” Kara protests, knowing that if Cat had been there to hear the Spice Girl song she’d be given a hard time.

“Embarrassing? For whom? Aren’t you supposed to be all alone in your hotel room?” Alex asks, a hint of suspicion leaking in her tone.

“I’m often roaming the floors, or staying at the restaurant! It’s breakfast time, I could have been downstairs with all the other people stuck in here!” Kara refutes, feeling her heart race in her chest. She doesn’t want Alex to find out about Cat, she’d never hear the end of it. “Anyway. Hi! It’s been a little while!”

They chat for a handful of minutes, before Alex is being called away to review the security protocols. They hang up with the promise of calling each other back on Alex’s first day off, before she heads over to Midvale with Kelly. As she places the phone next to her plate of pancakes, Kara feels a small wave of sadness hit her at the thought of missing Christmas with her family.

She consoles herself with food, but it doesn’t chase the melancholia, not entirely.

Outside, the city is still caught in a whirlwind of snow and ice.  
Kara can’t even make out the building across the street, everything is white. She sometimes hears the wind when it blows against the windows, making them tremble ever so slightly, and she feels grateful for the excellent heating system. 

By the time she’s done with breakfast, Cat still hasn’t showed up, and Kara begins to worry a little. 

Last night, Carter’s call had left Cat in a strange and bittersweet mood, leading her to go to bed straight after. She knows how much Cat cares about Christmas time with her son. She’d been Cat’s assistant long enough to know that Cat makes a point of always being near her son for Christmas, even the years he’s with his father. 

She decides to wait, to give Cat some space, and so she uses the home-cinema system to start a movie on her Netflix account. She’s always been a sucker for Christmas movies, but today, not even Love Actually manages to distract her from being worried about Cat.

It’s a little before noon when she gives up and goes out in search of the former CEO.

\---

The first place she looks is the bar.  
She figures Cat went down to drown her feelings, but the bartender says he hasn't seen Cat since the previous day, when they came for a cocktail before lunch. Kara thanks him and moves away to the SPA, asking the lovely woman behind the reception desk if she’s seen Cat. When the woman shakes her head no, Kara frowns. The hotel might be well equipped and pretty large, but there are only so many places Cat would go.

As she exits the business area, the main receptionist comes to find her.

“Miss Danvers, I heard you were looking for Miss Grant,” The man says, his accent making his words sound a little harsh and foreign. “She’s in the lounge area.” 

“Oh,” Kara lets out a surprised gasp. “Uh, thank you, sir. I’ll go find her now.”

“Have a lovely day,” The man replies before moving away, back to the reception area. 

Kara finds Cat standing in front of one of the windows that is supposedly overlooking the street, but the white curtain outside makes it hard to distinguish anything. 

Cat, wrapped in a large, cashmere pull-over and a pair of denim jeans, is holding herself with her arms crossed over her chest. Her silhouette is highlighted against the white of the outside world and Kara is struck again by how beautiful Cat is.  
Of course, it’s not something new. Kara’s seen the powerful CEO outfits, the Gala dresses, and the many public appearances, but Kara much prefers this casual and natural version of Cat, make-up free and unguarded. 

“There you are,” Kara greets with a smile, coming closer to stand next to the former CEO. “I’ve been roaming the hotel to find you.”

Cat doesn’t answer.  
She doesn’t even move, her eyes still intent on the blowing blizzard outside. There’s a deep frown creasing lines above the bridge of her nose, and her lips are pursed. Those are signs Kara knows exactly how to interpret, from all her years of experience. 

“I’m heading over to the restaurant, care to join me for lunch?” Kara tentatively asks, wondering if she shouldn’t follow her instincts and leave Cat alone, instead of trying to make her socialize. “We can order room service, if you prefer?”

“I’m not hungry,” Cat snaps, a little aggressively.

“Alright,” Kara nods and turns away. “I’ll leave you be, then.” 

Cat doesn’t reply so Kara leaves.

\---

To say that Cat is in a foul mood would be an understatement.

She’s insufferable, Kara thinks, after yet another snarky remark on Kara’s latest paragraph. 

After lunch, Kara had come back to find Cat already in the room and scorchingly criticising the latest issue of CatCo Magazine. Kara didn’t say anything, because in all honesty, it was a rather poor edition, but as time passed, the critiques became really mean and mostly unjustified.  
Eventually, in the hope of distracting Cat from feeling miserable, Kara had offered for them to work together on a more introspective piece Kara wanted to suggest for the next edition, about her journey from assistant to journalist. 

In hindsight, Kara could have seen it coming.  
She should have anticipated how snappish and critical Cat would be, especially on this specific topic. After all, Cat did have a role in this journey.

“I know it’s supposed to be from your point of view but come on, not even you can be so naïve,” Cat snaps, her voice cutting through Kara’s thin patience like a knife. “If I recall, you got fired for that specific article. It took your friend at L-Corp buying the company for you to be hired back …”

“My friend at L-Corp has a name,” Kara mutters through her gritted teeth as she writes down Lena’s name in her sentence. “You can also use her title, if you don’t want to say her name. She’s the CEO of one of the biggest Tech companies in the whole world, after all.” 

“A Tech company first founded by a lunatic who’s been after your kind for years,” Cat doesn’t miss a beat. She’s still reading through Kara’s article on her iPad. On her own laptop’s screen, Kara can see the red corrections Cat is adding everywhere. “What did your cousin say about that, by the way? He couldn’t be too happy about you being BFFs with a Luthor, given his own affair with Lex …”

Kara takes a deep breath, through her nose, before answering.

“My relationship with Lena is different from his relationship with Lex.”

“Relationship, my my,” Cat snorts, disdainfully so. “Didn’t she try to destroy you, a few months ago?”

“She had her reasons,” Kara mumbles, trying to finish her sentence before scrolling back up to keep an eye on Cat’s suggestions. “We’ve fixed things, since then.”

“Good for you,” Cat replies, in a tone that means the exact opposite of what she’s saying. “Glad to hear there is at least one CEO you’ve brought into confidence about your identity.”

This time, Kara doesn’t take the time to breathe.

“Well, she never threatened to expose me to the world,” she deadpans, her voice cold and neutral. “To be fair, though, she was told who I am by her brother and the betrayal hurt her so bad she did indeed try to destroy me.”

A flash of worry crosses Cat’s green eyes, but it disappears as quickly as it came. 

“Anyway,” Cat dismisses, flicking her wrist. “My point is, you can’t keep using that story like a catalyst for your career. It’s a serious professional mistake, one that rightfully got you fired from CatCo.”

“Are you telling me,” Kara slowly states, dictating every word “That you don’t think I did the right thing by publishing that list of names online?”

Cat doesn’t reply right away and Kara, who’s got her eyes entirely focused on Cat, sees the sparkle of hesitancy that dances in Cat’s evergreen irises. It’s distant and dimmed, but it’s there. 

“I’m not saying you didn’t do the right thing,” Cat shakes her head. “I’m saying you didn’t do it the right way, and that by bypassing Snapper, and CatCo, you actually made a mistake.” 

“Oh really,” Kara chuckles, humorlessly. “Well, where were you, when I had to make that choice? I sent you emails, asking for guidance. I even tried calling you, once or twice. You never picked up. So what do you know, I pulled on my big girls pants and stood up for what I believed was right.”

Cat seems about to answer, but Kara is not done. She’s far from done, actually. Something has broken inside of her, and she doesn’t have one ounce of patience left in her body. She’s growing tired of being criticised by Cat, of suffering through the barely veiled insults on her professionalism and career choices. 

“I’m not your assistant anymore, Miss Grant,” Kara states, standing up from the couch to start pacing. 

She’s buzzing with anger and annoyance, she’s tired of not having her powers, of being stuck in this hotel. Most of all, she’s tired of walking on eggshells around Cat. Whether it’s because she doesn’t want to hurt Cat, or because she’s terrified she’s accidentally going to reveal her feelings.

“You left. You left and you made it clear you’d never come. You went on to the White House, leaving all my calls, my texts and my emails unanswered. You know what? I’m not stupid, I got the fucking message!” Kara almost starts to shout. Cat’s shocked expression doesn’t even stop her. “You didn’t want to hear from me again, I got it. So I tried to move on, you know. I did. I went on with my career as a journalist, I even had a boyfriend, too. So of course, you picked that moment to come back to National City, along with President Marsden. You stayed for a few days, and off you went again, never to be heard from. That was until I ran into you, a few days ago, in this god forsaken country.”

“I don’t see what the boyfriend has to do with anything,” Cat snaps, sounding even angrier than before. “Also, if I recall, that pathetic excuse of white-ass, male privilege was stuck on the enemy’s ship, who happened to be his mother by the way, with your new bff, so again; what does he have to do with anything?”

“Seriously? That’s the part you chose to focus on?” Kara glares at her, beyond annoyed now. “At least he was there, which is more than I can say about you, who just popped in before disappearing again!” 

“Besides … Come on,” Kara says again, pacing back and forth in front of her couch. She feels like she’s going to burst from anger. “You can’t be that oblivious, Cat. You must have noticed that in all the years I’ve worked for you, I never mentioned any significant others. James, your son ... they didn’t work out. Ever wondered why? Well, here’s your answer: it’s absolutely not right to date the son of the woman you have feelings for! That’s not the point, though.”

“It’s not?” Cat murmurs, and the quietness of her voice startles Kara, who abruptly stops pacing.  
After the cold anger exuding from Kara’s tone, the softness in Cat’s is jarring, and it throws Kara off. It makes her pause long enough to realise what she’s just said. 

She gasps, shocked by her own words. She stammers and stutters, trying to call back her anger and righteousness, but the strange gleam in Cat’s evergreen eyes is growing stronger with every passing second and it’s distracting. 

“I mean,” Kara tries, shaking her head to stop looking into Cat’s eyes. “No, no it’s not the point! My point is that you don’t get to ...”

Cat is slowly standing up and Kara’s words die in her throat as the CEO comes closer. 

“I don’t get to what?” Cat asks, her eyes shining and the corners of her lips rising into the premise of a smile. 

“You don’t get to treat me that way anymore,” Kara murmurs, not entirely sure she’s saying the right thing anymore. She’s enthralled by the look in Cat’s eyes, slightly dizzy from the hints of peach shampoo that invade her senses as the former CEO walks closer. “I’m not your assistant anymore.”

“No, you’re not,” Cat nods, seemingly agreeing with her. “You haven’t been my assistant in a long, long time, Kara.” 

“I … yes … I … I know that,” Kara stammers, struggling to put a coherent sentence together.

“Did you ever wonder why I left?” 

“Uh … to dive?” Kara supplies, unsure about whether or not it was a real question.

“Sure,” Cat sasses. “I mean, it was a perfectly convenient excuse, I admit. However, it’s not the real reason I left.”

“It’s … not?” Kara sutters, parroting Cat’s earlier words. 

She’s finding it extremely difficult to focus on this conversation while Cat is standing barely inches away; way too close for someone who’s always been very picky about her personal space.

“No,” Cat slowly shakes her head. “The truth is, I left because it was becoming too painful to see you almost every day.”

“Uh … what?” Kara frowns, feeling the words sting.

“I thought … I naïvely, stupidly thought promoting you to another department would make things easier for me,” Cat explains, slowly. “I just ... it was becoming too much, to have you so close and not have you at all.” 

The last words cause Kara’s mind to blank. All of a sudden, she can’t think anymore. All she can hear is the echo of Cat’s words, going on and on and on in her head. 

“You foolish girl,” Cat laughs, a little self-deprecating. “You think you were the only one having to deal with feelings? Admittedly, I hid mine better than you ever did yours, but it’s only because it would have caused you so much trouble if I hadn’t …”

Kara, who still can’t process anything, struggles to focus on Cat’s voice.

“You’re the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met, Kara Danvers, and it has nothing to do with your powers nor the fact you’re an alien.” 

“What’s … What’s happening?” Kara blinks, wondering if she’s dreaming, if she’s going to wake up with Cat snuggled against her side, and none of this having been real. 

“Oh, for fuck sake,” Cat groans.

The next thing she knows, Cat is kissing her.

Soft lips, that taste like spring and wine, press against her and there's a hint of a tongue, slowly questing for entrance. It’s exhilarating and terrifying at once, and Kara is torn between surrendering or fighting. She can still feel the last remnants of her anger boil down in her lower belly, but it’s rapidly being replaced by something else. Something hot.

In the end, Kara chooses to surrender.

She wraps her arms around Cat’s silhouette, and deepens the kiss having dreamed of it for so long she still can’t quite wrap her mind around the fact it’s real. She figures that if it’s all a dream, she might as well enjoy it before it fades.

Ony Cat doesn’t vanish. Kara doesn’t wake up. The kiss lasts.

“Oh,” Kara softly gasps when Cat breaks away. 

It’s all she can say, it’s all she can think.  
_Oh._  
It sums up everything. The years of longing she’d poured into the kiss, the frantic pounding of her heart, the intense ecstasy pulsing through her veins, and the blinding smile she can see on Cat’s lips. It’s a sound and a word and a thought at once, her only coherence. 

“It took us long enough, you know,” Cat chuckles against her lips, eyes alight with relief and something Kara doesn’t dare to name, but it looks a lot like love.

“It took you long enough, you mean,” Kara smirks, dropping a lighter kiss on Cat’s lips and marveling about the fact she can do that now. 

“Says the girl who didn’t even tell me about her alter-ego,” Cat rolls her eyes, affectionately. “I’m … sorry I snapped at you. I was … I was upset about missing Christmas with Carter and I admit, I was lashing out a little. Then, you started talking about Lena and I got … jealous.”

“You don’t say!” Kara laughs, her arms still wrapped around Cat’s figure. “I mean, even I could tell, and I’m probably the most oblivious person you know.”

“That’s absolutely true,” Cat arches an unimpressed brow, but there’s no bite to her tone. “Still. I’m sorry I was so rude, you didn’t deserve it.”

Apologizing is not something that comes easily to Cat, and Kara knows it. She doesn’t comment on it. Instead she goes for another kiss, and this time, she takes her time.  
It’s slowly sinking in that she’s not dreaming, and that Cat’s admission of having feelings for her is real. 

“Wait,” Kara pulls off, suddenly remembering something. “Wait, did you say you first promoted me and then left, because you couldn’t handle your feelings for me?”

Cat rolls her eyes before silencing her with another kiss.

\---

This time, when Cat comes to snuggle against Kara’s flank in the middle of the night, it’s a deliberate move.

Kara marvels at how right it feels, to have Cat’s naked skin against her own. They fit, in ways she can’t quite comprehend, but she’s not complaining. Her heart is full and beating strong in her chest, albeit a little too fast.

She’s still a little breathless, and judging by Cat’s rapidly falling and rising chest, she’s not alone.

“What are you thinking about?” Cat asks, dropping a kiss on Kara’s naked shoulder. “I can almost hear the wheels in your mind.”

“I was thinking we should have done that years ago,” Kara laughs, the sound reverberating in the room. “I mean, if I had admitted my feelings back then …”

“I would have run away even faster,” Cat tempers, raising herself on an elbow. “I wasn’t ready, back then, Kara. I was your boss, a very public figure … not to mention I’m way older than you are.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Kara nods, realizing it probably wouldn’t have worked too well. She suddenly thinks of something else and lets out a groan. “Oh God! Now I have to tell Alex she was right all along ...I’m never going to hear the end of this.”

“Right about what?” Cat asks, settling back against Kara’s flank and wrapping an arm around her abdomen. 

“Alex was still convinced I have feelings for you,” Kara explains, blushing a little. “I must have denied it at least a good thousand times but she never believed me, not even after all these years.”

“And do you?”

The question, a shy murmur, takes Kara by surprise. She turns her head to face Cat and sees the sparkle of doubt and self-consciousness in her evergreen eyes. It’s a little heartbreaking to see such vulnerability on Cat’s face, so Kara moves and kisses her.

It’s deep and soft at once, tender but strong. 

“Yes, I do have feelings for you,” Kara murmurs back, staying close. 

The smile that breaks across Cat’s face is blinding, full of relief and happiness. Kara wonders how much she’d needed to hear the words.

“In case you were wondering, I do too,” Cat replies, snuggling closer to Kara and closing her eyes, seemingly ready to fall asleep.

“What a relief, thank you!” Kara sasses, chuckling a little.

Silence follows and Kara notices how Cat’s breathing is evening out. She smiles to herself and closes her eyes as well, knowing she’ll sleep very soundly tonight. 

“Will you spend New Year’s Eve with me and Carter?” 

Kara blinks in surprise and turns her head again, falling into a pair of evergreen eyes full of hope. 

It’s the kind of unsaid “I love you” only Cat Grant is capable of, and Kara’s spent enough time with her to know that. It’s also an open invitation to enter the Grant family, and it takes Kara aback, leaving her speechless for a moment.  
Cat seems to understand, because she doesn’t push. She simply waits.

“I would love to,” Kara eventually manages to say, her voice a little tight with emotion.

“Good,” Cat nods, closing her eyes again.

She falls asleep a few minutes later and Kara, still swooning, is the one to snuggle closer this time.

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays, my dears!
> 
> This was a lovely prompt and I hope I delivered! Have a lovely winter break and take care of yourself and your loved ones!
> 
> I'm **GaneWhoo** on Twitter too, and **lost-your-memory** over Tumblr.


End file.
